Saturday, December 25, 2010

Merry, Merry, Happy, Happy

Hope you and yours had a great Christmas. Here's one from 1967, if you can believe that.

Tuesday, December 21, 2010

Just Another Day at the Mall

Well, not exactly just another day at the mall. The Forum Shops at Caesars Palace here in Vegas are anything but an ordinary shopping mall!

Monday, December 20, 2010

My Vegas Love Affair Begins

As my grandmother's health has waned, my mom has been carefully sharing some of the items my Gram's been saving for whatever reason. Old newspaper clippings, family letters, my earliest copy of the New Testament (age 7, didn't stick).

My mom found a rather remarkable item amidst my grandmother's keepsakes. It was the postcard I mailed to my grandparents during my very first stay in Las Vegas!



I now know, officially, when my love affair with Las Vegas began: July 10, 1991. Holy camel coccyx, Batman. That's about 20 years ago if my math is right.

I made my first stop in Vegas as I drove from Albany, New York to Los Angeles to pursue my dream of being a screenwriter. That dream quickly ended (as I learned more about what that job actually entailed), but my dream of being in Vegas had been sparked.

I still love this town, and often think of the Stardust, the first place I stayed in this town. The love affair continues.

Thanks for the memories, Gram.

Wednesday, December 15, 2010

Top 10 Hittite Kings or Kinds of Pasta

1. Tudhaliya
2. Hattusili
3. Vermicelli
4. Suppiluliuma
5. Manicotti
6. Zidanta
7. Fettuccine
8. Capellini
9. Muwatalli
10. Fusilli

Tuesday, December 7, 2010

Sunday, December 5, 2010

Holly, Holly, Holly

I finally got to meet Holly Madison today. We've bumped into each other at various events in the past--I've been behind a camera, and she's been, well, doing her Holly thing. But we've never really met-met.

Today, at a toy drive for Toys for Tots here in Vegas, I brought over a couple of toys to donate, and I took advantage of her offer for a photo in exchange.



It's weird. When I write the Pulse of Vegas blog, I play kind of this character that pretty much adores Holly. It's a marketing thing. But the blog is also me, and I tend to think highly of Holly Madison's ability to market herself, her confidence, her causes. So, when my blog character, and my real life self, meet Holly Madison, it should be this momentous day.

It was, however, just a pleasant encounter. She seemed friendly, but distracted. I'm not sure mere mortals can really understand what her life is like. The history there. The public scrutiny. It made me wonder what Holly Madison is actually like. Not the photo op one. Or the one on her reality show, "Holly's World." The actual person that seems to care about animals and children. And who likes attention, but who most times appears to skillfully avoid giving off a pretentious or arrogant vibe so many celebrities do. (I've been around a lot of them.)

So, now I have a photo with Holly Madison. I guess I can check that off my bucket list.

I should probably put "Making a Bucket List" on my bucket list, too.